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I Unite Against Hate: Monday, October 18, 9:30pm, Quad

Open Letter to the UIS Community from student organizers

National news has been flooded with accounts of violence and harassment propelled by racism, homophobia, religious bigotry, and other forms of hate. In May a newly built mosque in Wilson, WI was vandalized after a long anti-mosque campaign, this is only one example of growing anti-Muslim activity in the U.S. On September 22, 2010 Tyler Clementi committed suicide after his roommate streamed a video of him being sexual with another man on the internet. Additionally, in August of 2009 a City Water Light and Power employee, Mike Williams found a noose hanging near his work station in Springfield, IL.

Last fall two young men were assaulted on the UIS campus because they were perceived to be gay. We all had different reactions to this act of violence but on the night of October 4, 2010 many of us decided to act in unity by attending the Rally Against H8.

Members of the UIS and Springfield community stood united against violence and hatred on the quad holding candles and chanting. For weeks after the rally many wore “Stop the H8” buttons and talked about how great it felt to be part of the event, eventually this energy faded.

We are asking you to come together to re-create the sense of unity we felt that night, but this time we are not only asking you to unify for one night, we are asking for a commitment to unify against H8 everyday.

On October 18, 2010 at 9:30pm we will gather on the quad once again to commemorate the first rally and to recommit ourselves to creating a united UIS community.

Sign the Petition Letter

Add your name to the letter and forward this page to your organization, friends, and colleagues. Click Here to sign the letter.

Send In Your 15 Second “I Unite Against Hate” Video

Video: Click here to view an example! (Coming Soon)

The video will feature a compilation of students, staff, and faculty at UIS sharing why they are uniting together against hate and the conditions that create it. The video will be shown online and around campus as we organize and begin a dialogue.

Directions:

Record a digital video with your web cam or digital camera/camcorder.

Start with the phrase: “I unite against hate at UIS because:”

Send your video to kpoyn2@uis.edu. Video’s should be no longer than 15-30 seconds or 10mb.